FLOWERY BRANCH — After not playing any exhibition games in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, with the advent of the 17-game schedule, several NFL teams, including the Falcons, have elected not to play their starters in exhibition games in 2021.
The Falcons are set to host the Browns at 8 p.m. Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in their exhibition finale. Quarterback Matt Ryan and prized rookie Kyle Pitts have yet to take a game snap together.
First-year coach Arthur Smith plans to play the starters some Sunday, but that isn’t a slam dunk.
“We haven’t made the final determination,” Smith said. “We’ll go through the week, as if we’re going to play everybody, and we’ll make that determination at the end of the week.”
The Browns, contenders for the AFC title, are not expected to play quarterback Baker Mayfield, running back Nick Chubb and most of their starters.
“We’ll prep as we’re sitting here, Year 1 as a staff, we’re certainly not going to go through some elaborate game plan,” Smith said. “But it is nice because we do play on Sunday, the way the calendar falls, we can at least get into a rhythm of our schedule as a staff and players.
Before this season, NFL teams used the third exhibition game as a dress rehearsal for the season. Starters would play the first half and maybe into the third quarter. Smith thinks that has changed.
“I think it’s like the old conventional wisdom of a third game as a dress rehearsal, I think those days are behind,” Smith said. “For the most part which you kind of look around the league. For us, we’ll do a couple things, but we’re not going to sit here and go through some elaborate Cleveland game plan.”
Ryan, who’s set to enter his 14th season in the league, is fine with not playing so far in the exhibition season.
“I feel pretty good with where we are at,” Ryan said. “I felt the joint practices last week in Miami were really good, to go against some different looks. Some different players ... react to some different things at a different speed. I thought that was really good for us.”
But will two joint practice be enough to replace actually playing in an exhibition games?
“At this point in my career, whatever Art asks me to do on Sunday night, I’ll be ready to go,” Ryan said. “I feel like I’ll be ready to go in a few weeks when we kick it off in Philadelphia.”
Ryan noted that he didn’t play any exhibition games in high school or college and didn’t last season.
“So, you just get yourself ready to go,” Ryan said. “That’s what good, intense practice is for ... to simulate what you are going to do in games.”
Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley is another proponent of joint practices. He went up against Miami cornerbacks Xavien Howard and Byron Jones last week.
“That was great work,” Ridley said. “Two good corners in the league. They press almost every down. I was able to work some stuff and get a little better.”
Ridley doesn’t know if he’ll play Sunday.
“I’m taking it one day at a time,” Ridley said. “It’s on Coach. When he gives me the go to play, I’m going to play. I’m going to play as best I can.”
The players have changed their mindset during the exhibition season.
“My thinking on joint practices is that it’s like a game,” Ridley said. “I think of it as a game. I’m kind of just. ... I am working my technique, but I’m going. Whatever technique I give them on that route, I don’t know what it is until I do. I’m working things, but I’m going. I’m on the fly.”
The Falcons will decide some of the competitions based on practice.
The Falcons are set with Mike Davis and Cordarrelle Patterson as the top two running backs. But Qadree Ollison, Caleb Huntley and D’Onta Foreman have played in exhibition games and are battling for roster spots.
“It’ll go through the weekend,” Smith said. “For the most part, (we) still (would) like to get those guys carries. I guess the silver lining is that you’re working on different things and it’s (exhibition) games. Everybody’s got different philosophies. ... Obviously, we haven’t seen CP and Mike run yet, but there’s good competition there.”
Smith is confident that his plan not to test the players in exhibition games will work.
“We feel pretty solid about our strategy because you do get to evaluate,” said Smith, who was pleased that the backups cut their penalties from 11 against Tennessee to four against Miami.
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